Crossing signal



June 19, 1928. 1,673,841

c. F. MORGAN CROS S ING S IGNAL F le ly 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l CROSSINGSIGNAL Filed July 1, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 55%. Qwwunfoz 22.

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tion. In the drawings, l-have shown the Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. MORGAN, or JACKSON, mnivivnssnn GBOSSIN GSIGNAL.

Application filed July 1,

This invention relates to an improved crossing signal and seeks, amongother objects, to provide a signal which will mini mize collisions andother fatal accidents at railway crossings. I

The invention seeks, as a further object, to

provide a signal which will be located directly in the roadway so thatthe drivers of vehicles traveling on the roadway may not fail to see thesignal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signal which, whenactuated, will form an obstruction inclining upwardly from the roadwayso that should a. driver fail to see the signal, the driver will, uponrunning into the signal, be signaled to stop.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a signalwhich will be antomatically operated by approaching trains.

Other objects of the invention not above specifically mentioned, willappear as the description proceeds.

1n the accompanying drawings: I

Figure l is a plan view showing a pair of my improved signals installedin the roadway at opposite sides of a. pair of railway tracks. v

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1,looking in the di rection indicated by thearrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional view at right angle's to Figure 2, on the line33 of F igure 2, looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view showing the mounting of the signalplateof the de'-.

vice.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation showing a typical track switch.

Figure dis a diagrammatic view show- "ing the electrical connectionsbetween the trackswitches andthe motors of the signals. Y 4

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have, in Figure 1,conventionally illustrated a pair of-railway tracks at 10 and 11, whilea roadway is indicated at 12. Since traflic approaching the tracks willtravel adjacent opposite sides of the roadway, a signal is provided atthe right hand side of the roadway adjacent the track 10 for traffictraveling in one direction while a like signal is providedat the righthand side of the roadway adjacent the track 11 for traffic travelingin'the opposite direc- 1925. Serial No. 40,887.

signals located relatively close to'the tracks, but. as Will, of course,be understood, said signals may bedisposed at any desired distance fromthe tracks. The signals are identical, and, a description of one will,therefore, suliice for both.

Sunk into the roadway flush with the surface thereof is an oblong pit 13which maybe of sheet metal or cement, as illustratedv in the presentinstance. Aquantity I of loose material let, such as stone, gravel orcinders, is preferably provided to form the bottom of thepit so thatwater may drain therefrom, and leading from the pit are one or moredrain pipes 15. At their upper end edges, the walls of the pit areformed with a ledge 16 and seated on said ledge flush with the surfaceof the roadway is a closure plate 17 for the pit. Embedded in the wallsof the pit are anchoring plates 18, and extending through the plate 17as Well as through the plates 18, are bolts or other similar fasteningdevices 19 rigidly securing the closure plate in posit-ion. Throughoutthe major portion of its area, theplate 17 is pressed downwardly to forman oblong seat 20 which is slightly off center with respect to theborder of said plate, and, as particularly shown in Figure 3, the bottomwall of said plate is preferably formed with spaced cross bars 21 sothat dirt or other foreign matter collecting in the seat may fallbetween said bars into the pit and thus be prevented from clogging theseat.

Normally resting in the seat 20 of the plate 17 is an oblong signalplate 22. Formed on the plate 22 at one longitudinal edge thereof, asshown in detail in Figure 4, are downstruck arcuate lugs 23 which aresuitably spaced longitudinally of said plate, and formed on the adjacentlongitudinal edge of the plate 17 are eyes 24 freely receiving said lugstherethrough and cooperating with the lugs for hingedly connecting thesignal plate with the closure plate. Set into the signal plate orotherwise fixed thereto near its outer longitudinal edge is a mediallydisposed bulls eye 25 which may fee be of colored glass or othersubstance which will reflect light, and similarly mounted upsubstance asthe b'ulls eye so hat said letters will also reflect light.

Suitably fixed to the signal plate, near the inner longitudinal edgethereof, is a rearwardly curved arcuate lever 27 havinga depending ear28, and adjustable upon said lever is a counterweight 29 tendingto'swing the signal plate upwardly. However, the counterweight is sodisposed upon the lever that the signal plate will normally remainclosed.

Formed on the side walls of the pit 13 near the bottom thereof areoppositely disposed shoulders 30 and, fixed at its ends to- 36, andsupporting the outer end of said Shaft is a bearing 37. Wound about thedrum 36 is a .cord. or other flexible element 38 which is connected toone end of a spring 39, the opposite end of which is engaged with theear 28 of the lever 27, and also engaged at one end with said ear is aspring 40, the. opposite end of which is anchored to the adjacent wallof the pit .13. Thus,

when the motor is energized, the cord 38 will/be wound on the drum 36 sothat the lever 27 will be rocked forwardly for swinging the signal plate22 upwardly, as

. shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, to signaling position. Upon thesubsequent de energization of the motor, the spring 40 will thenfunction against the action of the dash (pot, to return the signal plateto its normal position. Moreover, should a driver accidentally run intothe forward edge of the signal plate, when said plate is raised, thespring 40 will tend to prevent upward swinging movement of the plate sothat said plate will, instead of being swung further upwardly by thewheel of the vehicle striking the plate, on the contrary, be returned toits normal position so that, the vehicle may pass smoothly over theplate' Possible accident will thus be avoided. I

Located adjacent a rail of the track 10 asuitable distance from the roadcrossing at one side thereof, is a switch, generally indicated in Figure1, by the reference numeral 4.1, and located adjacent a rail of thetrack 11, a suitable distance from the road crossing at the oppositeside thereof, is a similar switch generally indicated in Figure 1, bythe reference numeral 42. These switches are identical and, as shown inFig- .ure 5, each of said switches includes a base bar43 which isappropriatelyfixed to the track tiesr' Rising. from said bar. at itsends a train traveling along the track. In Figure 6 of the drawings, Ihave shown, the manner. in which the switches are electrically. con.

nected with the motors 35 of the signals. A source of electrical energyis indicatedat 49 and leading from one terminal of said source is a wire50 connected to the plates 45 of both of the switches, Connecting the.

switch bars46 of both. of the switches with corresponding terminals ofthe motors. 35 is a wire 51 and connecting opposite cor respondingterminals of the motors with the,

source49 is a wire 52. .Thus, upon the ap-. preach of a train fromeither one direction or the other, the bar 46 ofvone of the switcheswill be depressed to engage the switch plate 45 of said switch, whencurrent will flow from the source 49 through the wire 50 to the switchplate 45. of the switch, thence through the bar 46 of, said switch andthrough the wire 51 to the motors v35 of both if of the signals, andthence through said motors and through the wire 52 to return to thesource 49.v Accordingly, the signal plates 22 of both ofthe signalswill, be swung upwardly to inclined positionas previously described, forsignaling the traffic train.

Attention now directed to the fact that when the signal plates 22 are.swung-up to on the roadway 12 of the approach, of the signalingposition, the word Stop on each. of said plates will, in the daytime, bereadily visible while, at night, the headlightsof approaching vehicleswillilluminate the letters ofsaid words as well as alsoilluminatethebulls eyes 25, which will reflect the light and thus render the signals;conspicuous.

However, should a driver fail; to see either signal, the driver will,upon continuing toward the railway tracks, run over the signal in hispath and W111 thus be signaled to stop. When a vehiclethus strikes oneof the signal plates 22, the plate will, of course, be immediately swungdownwardly by the weight of the vehicle so that no injury! to thevehicle will result.

The spring 39 acts obviously in opposition.

to the spring 40 but the spring 40 is preferably slightly stronger thanthe spring 39and the point of attachment of the springs to the lever 27is, in the normal position of the parts, at the opposite side of thevertical plane of the hinge of the signal plate from the upper end ofthe lever. The two springs 39 and 40 and thecounterweight 29 are thus sodisposed that, while the signal plate will be normally held in itslowered position, it will be easily raised to the signaling positionwhen the motor is actuated and the movement of the signal plate will bewithout any jarring or slamming motion so that the liability of theplate to be broken or damaged in operation is minimized. The dash potcooperates with the other elements to retard the closing movement of theplate so that, when it seats upon the cover, there will be no violentcontact between the two plates which would tend to break or bend eitherplate.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is:

1. A barrier for a crossing signal of the character described comprisinga body consisting of a plate adapted to be secured to a support andformed with an opening, portions of the body plate about the openingbeing depressed to provide a ledge bordering the opening and a portionof the ledge having socket openings formed therein, a signal plateresting upon said ledge with its upper surface flush with the uppersurface of the body plate, hinge lugs depending from said signal platethrough the openings in the ledge to mount the signal for verticalswinging movement, danger-indicating means carried by the signal plateadjacent the opposite edge thereof from the hinge lugs and prominentlydisplayed when the signal plate is swung upwardly, a longitudinallycurved balance bar secured against the wider face of the signal plateand extending downwardly therefrom with its free end portion projectingacross the plane of the hinge lugs, and a counter-weight carried by saidbar and adjustable longitudinally thereon.

2. A device of the character described comprising a sup orting structureopen at its top and inclu ing opposed walls, ledges projecting fromfacing sides of said walls and extending towards each other, a platformsupported upon said walls and formed with an opening, a bridge stripextending between said walls and extending beneath the opening in'saidplatform with its ends resting upon said ledges, a signal plate hingedto said platform and adapted to be swung vertically from a horizontalposition in covering relation to the opening to an elevated position, abalance bar secured a ainst the under face of said signal plate ad acentits hinged side and extending downwardly and curved longitudinally awayfrom the opening, a dashpot carried by said bridge strip beneath theopening and having an upwardly extending piston connected with saidsignal plate, resilient means engaged with said balance bar to yieldablyresist upward movement of the signal plate and draw the plate downwardlyagainst the action of the dashpot, and means carried by the bridge stripto move the signal plate upwardly against the action of said resilientmeans.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES F. MORGAN. [L.8.]

